1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to oil film bearings for rotatably supporting the necks of rolls in a rolling mill, and is concerned in particular to an improved inner seal ring for the seal assemblies of such bearings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known seal assemblies for rolling mill oil film bearings are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,090 (Simmons et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,856 (Salter, Jr. et al.); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,053 (Innis Jr. et al.). These seal assemblies include inner seal rings configured to engage a flexible seal surrounding the roll neck and to coact with other seal components in defining a labyrinth designed to exclude cooling water and entrained dirt and mill scale from penetrating into the bearing. The inner seal rings are typically formed from aluminum and are provided with circumferentially spaced rubber bumpers arranged to abut an end face of the roll. The aluminum is easily damaged by being bent or dented, and its stiffness can disadvantageously deform the flexible neck seal. Moreover, the rubber bumpers create a space for water ingress between the inner seal ring and the roll end face.